Tuesday’s result was a victory for citizen-driven government. I knew my neighbors were ready for reform in city hall and only needed the option on the ballot.

February 21, 2016

Examples of Key Issues In the City and County

• The exclusion of Wausau residents from their own government affairs, in both participation and simple access to policy information

• The consolidation of city policy and planning influence down from the many to the few

• The concerted effort of Central Wisconsin government bodies to avoid being subject to open records, wage requirements, and public accounting on job creation when using public funds for “economic development” purposes

• The lack of sufficient mayoral-oversight of and the resulting problems with: TIF projects, the allocation of taxpayer and other public monies, and the city council’s committee proceedings

• The opportunity to address the harms worsened by The Great Recession such as the need for more living-wage jobs, a consumer-driven economy, and the problem of local income inequality

• The absence of adequate, affordable and science-based mental health services for our residents, including services to address our epidemics of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol addiction and the resulting strain on our criminal justice system

Listen to Jay Speaking on Issues at His Announcement

The Primary Goal: Open Up Our Government and Return the Decision-Making Authority Back to the People of Wausau

The Critical Need for Transparency and Open Records Surrounding Public Funds and Taxpayer Monies

The Transition to a Bottom-Up, Consumer-Driven Local Economy That Increases Disposable Income and Supports the Local Business Community

To: My Neighbors, the People of Wausau

Unfortunately, for some years now, select government officials and quasi-governmental entities have worked to freeze the people out of their own government. From the rejection of referendum results, to the concerted efforts to limit access to government records and information, to the packaging of back-room decision making as “independent expert opinion,” to the repeated expenditure of tax dollars without adherence to open bidding and competitive economic principles, city leaders have routinely tried to alienate the people from the city’s governance. I believe that some public officials have forgotten, or never even believed, that they were in office to be the servants — not the bosses — of the people.

If elected mayor, I will oppose and remediate this erosion of our local democracy. My main goal is to strengthen our democratic institutions in City Hall and return government to the people. The people’s concerns and desires will no longer be treated as burdensome obstacles to policy goals. Instead, they will take their rightful place as your next mayor’s primary concern. With better access to information and a responsive leader in the mayor’s office, the people of Wausau can once again lead their way to a better future.

I will be sharing information from public records that has somehow not been properly communicated to the people of Wausau by its government. As this information became known to me, I became increasingly concerned about the state of affairs in city government. I can no longer sit on the sidelines. I believe that you, my friends and neighbors, once aware of this information will share my concerns and decide that you, as well, must get involved.

The failure to disclose and discuss these items in a transparent manner is ultimately the responsibility of the chief executive of the city. A mayor must be the people’s watchdog in city government. The mayor is the one official in our city’s executive structure elected by the city as a whole to watch out for the interests of all the people. The hard truth is, we have suffered as a community from the utter lack of oversight by the Mayor’s office. That will change if you trust me to be your next servant in that office.

Year after year, the leaders in city hall have delivered higher property tax rates while trimming or eliminating city services. The elected leaders have used a variety of scapegoats to justify our higher taxes, while spending through the nose for outside consultants, outside legal opinions and no-bid contracts. Rather than making the tough choices in consultation with the people, they seek political cover from outside “experts” that are paid with the people’s taxes. “Economic development projects” have consumed millions in tax dollars in recent decades, and yet, Wausau suffers from high property tax rates, slow population growth and low household incomes. The money has been there to solve these problems, but our leaders have simply squandered large amounts of it.

Please return to my website to read more about Wausau’s governance, as I will be posting topical reports, with the supporting documentation, that show what has been going on in your city and county. If you would like, you can sign up above for email notifications to receive the report when it is published. Once you review this information for yourselves, I believe it will be clear that change in Wausau is long overdue. When you’re ready to join the fight against local dysfunctional government, simply click the volunteer button below and let us know how you would like to participate. If you have ideas on how to solve a city problem, reach out to me and let’s discuss how we can make it happen. This truly is your campaign and you have my full attention.

Pledging to make the priorities of residents the priorities of local government,

WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN JAY’S CAMPAIGN?

The Wausau Mayoral Race

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY – DON’T FORGET TO VOTE. LET’S DO IT ONE MORE TIME!

Your Information. Your Participation. Your Government.

Let's look at the facts of past and present policy issues so that, together, we can move Wausau forward. The time to end divisive, personal-attack-style local politics is now. With your participation, we can forge a path to bring prosperity back to Wausau, and the local government back to its residents.

Contact Info

Authorized and Paid for by Kronenwetter for Mayor. Catherine Kronenwetter, Treasurer.

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Jay at a Glance

Early Life

Born in Wausau in 1979, and grew up on Sturgeon Eddy
Attended John Marshall Elementary, Saint Michael, Saint Matthew, and Horace Mann Middle School
Studied math at UWMC while still a high school student at Wausau East
Graduated from Wausau East High School with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma

Education

BA, Economics and History, Chancellor’s Scholar – University of Pittsburgh
JD – University of Wisconsin Law School
Judicial Intern, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

*None of the statements or the positions on my website have been vetted or approved by the ACLU of Wisconsin. All opinions on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the opinions, strategies or positions of the ACLU or its affiliates.